1. N-TIER ARCHITECTURE
The simplest examples of tier architecture are enumerated as 1-Tier, 2-Tier, and 3-Tier. 1-Tier Architecture is the simplest, single tier on
single user, and is the equivalent of running an application on a personal computer. All the required component to run the application are
located within it. User interface, business logic, and data storage are all located on the same machine. They are the easiest to design, but the
least scalable. Because they are not part of a network, they are useless for designing web applications. 2-Tier Architectures supply a basic
network between a client and a server. For example, the basic web model is a 2-Tier Architecture. A web browser makes a request from a
web server, which then processes the request and returns the desired response, in this case, web pages. This approach improves scalability
and divides the user interface from the data layers. However, it does not divide application layers so they can be utilized separately. This
makes them difficult to update and not specialized. The entire application must be updated because layers aren’t separated.
3-Tier Architecture is most commonly used to build web applications. In this model, the browser acts like a client, middleware or
an application server contains the business logic, and database servers handle data functions. This approach separates business logic from
display and data. But, it does not specialize functional layers. Its fine for prototypical or very simple web applications, but it doesn’t measure
up to the complexity demanded ofweb applications. The application server is still too broad, with too many functions grouped together. This
reduces flexibility and scalability. N-Tier Architectures provide finer granularity, which provides more modules to choose from as the
application is separated into smaller functions.
N-Tier and Example
Usually N-Tier Architecture begins as a 3-Tier model and is expanded. It provides finer granularity. Granularity is the ability of a system, in
this case, an application, to be broken down into smaller components or granules. The finer the granularity, the greater the flexibility of a
system. It can also be referred to as a system’s modularity. Therefore, it refers to the pulling apart of an application into separate layers or
finer grains.
One of the best examples of N-Tier Architecture in web applications is the popular shopping-cart web application. The client tier interacts with
the user through GUIs (Graphic User Interfaces) and with the application and the application server. In web applications, this client tier is a
web browser. In addition to initiating the request, the web browser also receives and displays code in dynamic HTML (Hypertext Markup
Language), the primary language of the World Wide Web. In a shopping cart web application, the presentation tier displays information
related to such services as browsing merchandise, purchasing, and shopping cart contents. It communicates with other tiers by outputting
results to the browser/client tier and all other tiers in the network. This layer calls custom tags throughout the network and to other networks.
It also calls database stored procedures and web services, all in the goal of providing a more sophisticated response. This layer glues the
whole application together and allows different nodes to communicate with each other and be displayed to the user through the browser. It is
located in the application server.
In N-Tier Architecture, the business logic tier is pulled out from the presentation tier and, as its own layer, it controls an application’s
functionality by performing detailed processing. For example, in our shopping cart example, this tier completes credit card authorization and
calculates things like shipping costs and sales tax. The tools used to encapsulate an application’s business logic into its own layer include web
services, custom tags, and stored procedures.
The business tier can also be considered the integration layer. Encapsulation allows the application to communicate with the data tier or the
business logic tier in a way that is intelligible to all nodes. Encapsulation is one of the principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) and
refers to an object’s ability to conceal its data and methods. Encapsulated objects only publish the external interface so any user interacting
with them only needs to understand the interface and can remain ignorant as to the internal specifications. This way a user can call all sorts
of services into action by calling the custom tag without having to know the code details of what made communication or implementation
possible. The services just have to be accessible in the custom tag library. Encapsulation in the integration tier also liberates the network from
just one vendor. The integration tier allows N-Tier Architecture to be vendor independent. In the shopping cart example, the application may
have a simple custom tag for searching inventory and providing the most up-to-date, detailed information.